1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computers and telephone communication systems and more particularly relates to a system for warning telephone subscribers of a threatened disaster in or approaching their geographical area.
2. Description of the Related Art
From time to time people in various geographical locations are subjected to threatened property damage and injury from a variety of natural and man-made potential disasters. Typical threatened disasters include natural disasters from weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, mud slides, floods and wind shear, as well as man-made disasters, such as those resulting from fire, radiation leakage, toxic chemical leakage or bomb threats. Ordinarily, the earlier people and communities are alerted to such threats so that they can make preparations for protecting themselves from them, the less the property damage or personal injury resulting from these threatened disasters.
There are already in place and operational a variety of prior art systems for warning or alerting people to disaster threats. These most prominently include the public media, such as radio and television news and weather broadcasts and the weather radio system operated by the National Weather Service. These systems, however, are subject to deficiencies because they require radio transmissions broadcast from transmitters located in the region of the disaster, and require that individuals have their radio or television equipment turned on, operating and being observed by the individuals. Persons who are not operating such equipment do not receive an alert, unless they are fortunate enough to have someone nearby who has received the alert and who is aware of their presence and goes to the effort to give them a personal warning.
Additionally, there are siren warning systems to alert members of the public who are in danger of a threatened disaster. These systems are also subject to deficiencies because some areas are not equipped with such siren warning systems and the sirens can be difficult or impossible to hear when there is ambient noise, such as from construction or traffic or a heavy storm or when the sirens are simply too far off to be heard.
There are also a variety of additional warning systems, mostly radio operated, which require specialized equipment. Very few people purchase such equipment and therefore these systems are not effective in providing sufficient warning to large numbers of people.
The infrastructure of the United States and many other countries currently includes a national telephone system, which provides a communication system which is more widely distributed and provides the most personal route to connection to the greatest number of people. Existing telephone systems are nearly always in a stand-by or enabled status, ready to receive telephone calls without the need for purchasing any special equipment or being turned on to be enabled. Furthermore, the telephone systems of most homes and businesses have ringing or comparable signaling equipment capable of signaling an incoming call even to people who are remote from the telephone, but able to hear its signal.
However, despite the availability of this infrastructure, the telephone system is currently essentially unused for the purpose of communicating disaster alert information to large numbers of people.
It is therefore an object and purpose of the present invention to provide a system which is capable of utilizing the telephone equipment to alert massive numbers of people, such as most of the telephone subscribers in a threatened geographical area, to the existence or approach of a threatened disaster.